President Donald Trump was seen being driven by the presidential motorcade from his Virginia club to the White House on Monday, following a noticeable multi-day absence from public view.
Trump’s physical health, including a persistent hand bruise and significantly swollen ankles, have been sources of increasing worry since the 79 year old resumed office this year.
His disappearance from the public eye since last week, coupled with the White House’s relative silence about his condition, has ignited a flurry of online conspiracy theories regarding the true state of Trump’s health.
Trump, who has been convicted 34 times, became the oldest individual to be inaugurated as president earlier this year. According to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, the president was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) in July.
This relatively common condition causes veins in the legs to become unable to efficiently circulate blood back to the heart, but is generally not life-threatening, reports the Mirror US.
The diagnosis, along with a dark, recurring bruise on the back of his right hand, have heightened scrutiny over the president’s health in recent months. Known for his penchant for clashing with the media and giving lengthy press conferences, Trump raised eyebrows last week when he suddenly vanished from the public eye for several days without explanation.
On Sunday, Trump shared a photo of himself playing golf with former football coach Jon Gruden on his Truth Social media page. “Great playing Golf with Jon Gruden – A really nice guy, and true character!” he penned.
However, it appears that the photo may not have been recent as Gruden had posted a similar image on his X account a week earlier, wearing the same attire, suggesting that Trump’s post was referring to a past golfing session.
One social media user responded to the posts saying, “I’m not a conspiracy theory guy, but if you’re fighting off increasing rumours that you may have suffered a major medical episode and to disprove that rumour and provide proof of life, you post a picture of allegedly playing golf with Jon Gruden today, it would be beneficial to post one that wasn’t from August 23rd.”
Amidst the swirling rumours about Trump’s health, Vice President JD Vance made an oddly-timed comment about his readiness to step into the role of president if necessary.
Despite praising Trump’s “incredible energy” and health, Vance expressed confidence in his ability to succeed the president should a “terrible tragedy” occur, in an interview with USA Today.
